In general, a washing machine is an appliance for washing laundry by a friction of circulated washing water and laundry with detergent in a water tank. A dryer is an appliance for drying wet laundry with a blow of a hot air heated by a heater. The washing machine and the dryer are respectively classified into various types according to structural features. For convenience, only drum-type washing machine and dryer will be described as follows, in which a spinning shaft of a drum is horizontally provided.
FIG. 1 is a cross sectional view illustrating main parts of a related art drum-type washing machine:
Referring to FIG. 1, the related art drum-type washing machine is provided with a cabinet 2 having an opening 1 at the front thereof, and a tub 4 and a drum 10 provided inside the cabinet 2. The tub 4 stores washing water therein. The drum 10 being rotatably provided to a horizontal spinning shaft 7 in the tub 4 receives the laundry and detergent therein. A suspension 8 is further provided in a space between the tub 4 and the cabinet 2 as a shock absorber during a rotation of the drum 10.
As shown in the drawing, a motor 6 may be provided at the rear of the drum 10 for being directly connected to the horizontal spinning shaft 7. However, the motor 6 may be provided at a lower portion of the cabinet 2, so that a driving shaft of the motor 6 may be connected to the horizontal spinning shaft 7 by a belt. Also, the drum 10 has an opening at the same direction as those of the cabinet 2 and the tub 4, and a spinning shaft 7 of the motor 6 is provided at a rear outer wall. A trivet-shaped spider 9 may be provided at one end of the spinning shaft 7 of the motor 6, and the spider 9 is fixed to the rear outer wall of the drum 10. When driving the motor 6, the drum 10 is rotated in the center of the horizontal spinning shaft 7, thereby washing the laundry. A plurality of lifters 12 are provided on an inner wall, which protrude toward the center of the rotation. That is, the plurality of lifters 12 lifts the laundry when the drum 10 rotates, thereby improving washing efficiency.
Meanwhile, the dryer has a similar structure to the aforementioned washing machine, which is an appliance for drying the wet laundry after washing the laundry. That is, the washing water is not provided to the dryer. The dryer does not require a turbo that is necessary for the washing machine. Generally, a drum 10 of the dryer slowly rotates as compared with that of the washing machine. The dryer further includes a heater (not shown) for drying the wet laundry, and a blower (not shown) for providing a hot air generated from the heater to the inside of the drum 10. The dryer vaporizes moist of the wet laundry with the hot air from the heater, and the vaporized moist is exhausted to the outside of the dryer, thereby drying the laundry.
FIG. 2 is a cross sectional view illustrating a door structure of the related art drum-type washing machine and the dryer. The door 20 is provided at the opening 1 of the cabinet 2 for selectively opening and closing the opening 1, which includes a door frame 22 and a door glass 24. The door frame 22 has a circle-shape at the front, which is rotatably fixed to one portion of the opening 1. The door glass 24 is provided at the center portion of the door frame 22, so that a user can watch the inside of the drum through the door glass 24. The door frame 22 is placed on the opening 1, and the door glass 24 is provided at the center portion of the door frame 22.
However, the door 20 of the related art washing machine and the dryer is disposed low as compared with the user, and the door 20 is perpendicular to a floor. That is, the door 20 is horizontal with the user and the front surface of the cabinet 2, so that the user has to bend over for putting the laundry into the inside of the drum, thereby generating user's inconvenience.